Dr Neil Hayes, Royal Chartered Environmentalist says “DoC’s aerial 1080 program has absolutely nothing whatever to do with the elimination of predators … it is a billion dollar business”

A CHARTERED ENVIRONMENTALIST SPEAKS OUT ON 1080 POISON

“I have just received this summary of DoC’s 1080 poison programme from Dr.Neil Hayes, who was awarded a QSM in recognition of his thirty-four years of continuous involvement in attempting to save the rare and critically endangered NZ Brown Teal (Anas chlorotis) from extinction, and is a Royal Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv).

The photo shows the beautiful Taumata Lagoon, of which Neil Hayes is a part-owner. The lagoon was classified by the Greater Wellington Regional Council as a Wetland of National Importance. The lagoon and its environs are some 30-hectares in size, with around 200 mature Kahikatea and 100 mature Totara.

Dr. Hayes says :

“The Department Of Conservation’s aerial bombardment of 1080 is a very serious environmental disaster and is by far the most successful propaganda campaign ever to take place in New Zealand (and possibly the WORLD!). The DOC program has absolutely nothing whatever to do with the elimination of predators. It is simply a billion dollar business, for these reasons:

• There are now very few possums & only 0.004% carry Bovine TB … 1080 has little effect on feral cats, ferret, stoat or weasel numbers – all of which carry Bovine TB
• 1080 has little effect on rat numbers (DOC’s mythical annual ‘explosion’ of rat numbers in areas that have been aerially bombarded with 1080 on numerous occasions confirms that the DOC 1080 program is all about money, because there is still an abundance of rats!)
• 1080 has little effect of hedgehog numbers
• The movement of domestic cattle is mainly responsible for the spread of Bovine TB!
• It is a billion dollar industry that is now totally out of control !

The DOC program has so far:

• Eliminated over 10,000 domestic animals
• Pushed already endangered birds closer towards extinction, with over 10,000 Kea being killed by 1080 in the past five years!
• Pushed two of the world’s rarest species of frogs closer towards extinction
• Contaminated rivers, lakes and town water supplies
• Eliminated invertebrates in creeks, streams and rivers
• Poisoned fresh-water trout, thereby destroying a major part of our tourism industry
• Cost New Zealand tax-payers several billion dollars!
• Eliminated millions of endemic bush birds and in areas where here the poison has been dropped the BUSH IS SILENT

DOC’s 1080 program has nothing whatever to do with eliminating predators – all of which are readily eliminated by trapping and reside only in the forest fringes.

Neil Hayes QSM CEnv (Chartered Environmentalist)
RD 2
Carterton
19 January, 2017